BlogGlue

Greetings!

Here are a few of my favorite things: Nintendo, Penny Arcade, The Legend of Zelda, Mario, Pokemon, Harvest Moon, Fallout, Dungeons and Dragons, books, dice, Professor Layton, Shadow of the Colossus, Minecraft, and so much more. I'm going to talk a lot about video games, I sincerely hope you don't mind.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

OK maybe the title isn't great, but the point here is that I'm sharing my Dalek Halloween costume!

The most feared alien race in existence.

2012 has been largely about Doctor Who for me, so it's no surprise that I went that route for my costume this year.

I've seen a number of amazing realistic Daleks as well as fun wearable dresses, and since I have limited capabilities I decided that a dress would be the right way to go. It would have worked for me to purchase a pre-made dress and then sew or glue on various accoutrements to make it Dalek-y, but I decided to make it myself. Having no knowledge of clothing assembling, and no pattern, this was a ballsy move.

Can Daleks suck the life from themselves? Do they ever smile?

The results could have been worse, but they also could have been loads better. I knew going in that it'd be a bit of a disaster, so that cushioned the blow of the wonky finished piece. I can wear it though, so I'm very proud of it! I can mark it off of my dream costume list, and maybe next time I attempt a costume I'll actually purchase a pattern. I'm hoping to wear this one to Gallifrey One in February because it turned out better than I thought it would. The styrofoam balls really pulled it together! It is very difficult to drive wearing this, though. Heh.

Monday, October 29, 2012

This time of year is always difficult for us, the gamers. Well, our wallets really. Let's take a look at the big holiday releases that I'm excited for and then quietly weep together because I can't afford them. Sound good? Okay!

Even if I could afford them all, I'd be facing a gaming release calendar not unlike

Look at that list! Couldn't they have been spaced out just a tiny bit more? The only one that I can't live without is Paper Mario: Sticker Star, so you can bet I'm counting down the days until November 11th (and saving my pennies)! At least with the titles releasing at such a staggering pace so close to Christmas it gives me a chance to add to my wish list!

It's not exactly news that publishers push titles from mid-October through early December because of the Christmas factor, but it still seems unfair to gamers on a few levels. The cost gets to be completely absurd, but (almost) more than that is the lack of time.

A moderately uncomfortable situation.

On a few occasions I've grabbed more than once new release at a time and it always spelled disaster. I'd waffle over which game I should play first, then inevitably I'd ignore one game and lose long-term interest. What a tragedy! But in all seriousness it does make me feel bad for the forgotten game and then it feels like a waste of money.

All I need is a little patience and the reminder of how much I dislike having multiple new games at once, then I can feel better about my lack of funds. I'll be picking up Paper Mario on release, and if I get one of these titles for Christmas (I'm thinking Power of Illusion. SEGA throw-back!!) then I'll be one happy little gamer.

So tell me, fellow geeks, which holiday titles are you most looking forward to? What is your must have game of the season?

Friday, October 26, 2012

For those of you who have always wanted to learn coding, but couldn't find a learning center within your price range, I have good news! An Ireland based company called CoderDojo is sweeping across the globe providing "free not-for-profit coding clubs and regular sessions" for willing people and groups.

Started in 2011 by James Whelton and Bill Liao out of Cork, Ireland, it has now expanded to the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Uganda, Australia, Germany, and many more countries. Their website has a complete list of locations so that people can find a Dojo near them! If you're interested you can even start a Dojo of your own.

The Dojos teach programming for the web, applications, games, and more. With technology being so prevalent in day to day lives, it's wonderful that they're providing free opportunities for interested young folk to dive into such a thriving and exciting medium.

I would actually love to learn programming and coding for my own website needs. There's a Dojo in LA, so perhaps I'll be joining!

Did you look at the Dojo list? If you're interested in learning, would you go? Or perhaps are you well versed in programming yourself and you want to teach others? Tell me about it!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

When iOS6 was released my news feed became a flood of information about "updates" and "features", but none seemed very exciting to me. After doing a little research on my own I read about something called Passbook, and then wondered why more websites weren't spotlighting it.

Passbook is trying to be a digital wallet for your iPhone, and I think that's pretty cool. An article at Unwired View approaches from a logical point of view: nearly every shopping establishment has some sort of credit card, reward card, or club card and it's a real pain to carry them all around. Wallets explode, cards get stuck together, magnetic strips de-magnetize, and lines of people grow while individuals hunt pointlessly through bags. Phone number look-up systems solve the search problem but, as author Parth Dhebar smartly brings up, this doesn't fix the issue of paper rewards mailed to the home. How many of you have arrived at a store or restaurant, only to remember that you have a gift card or coupon on the kitchen table?

As a matter of keeping with the times, the rewards should be digital. Society is in a place where those who own smart phones are never without their smart phones. I know I depend on mine for an increasingly wide variety of purposes. Why not for reward cards, too?

But that's not where Passbook stops. It hopes to replace conventionally printed items such as hotel reservations and airplane tickets. It's at this point that I begin to feel wary of this new technology, and I spot a whole slew of problems: depleted phone battery, stolen phone, dead zones, counterfeit websites, and more problems that I'm probably unaware of. Does Passbook have a fail safe? Does the application caution users on backup protocols?

My research hasn't yielded an answer either way. My phone can be temperamental, so sometimes its battery drains far faster than anticipated. When I travel I keep my charger accessible, but it still seems like a stressful scenario to try to pull up my boarding pass during a bout of low battery. The eco-conscious person in me wants to embrace this 100%, but it's difficult not to be reserved. Perhaps if this is adopted by all airlines they'll add a boarding pass print kiosk at the gate for instances of technological failure. Airports are already overflowing with paid charge stations and power outlets between every chair, so it's not as if they're opposed to accommodation.

On a much smaller scale I can be excited and supportive of Passbook. I prefer it over the NFC approach from Google Wallet. And while Passbook has found greater success right out of the gate, only adoption by companies will determine its success. NBC News has a decent rundown of how to setup Passbook and some of its features if you're looking for some more hands on information. I'd love to provide that on my own, but that's tough to do without an iPhone.

Someday! Someday...

Any iOS6 users out there have any experience with Passbook? Would you trust your phone to store such important information?

Monday, October 22, 2012

As a lady it's very difficult to buy a Halloween costume that is fun and also not skankalicious. Take a look at some men vs. womencomparisoncostumearticles and you'll see what I mean. After giving into the situation a few years in a row (many years ago) I grew tired of the expense vs. lack of skin covering ratio and decided to start putting together my own costumes.

In the past I have been Saria, Uhura, and Raggedy Ann, all made or put together myself. This year I'm hoping to go as a Dalek, so we'll see what I end up with! It's easier than you'd think to put together a creative outfit by yourself. It takes a willingness to thrift, (sometimes) a teeny bit of sewing knowledge, and the ability to accept that your costume may not be a perfect re-creation of the person/thing you're going as. And, the nice thing about these costumes is that they can double as cosplay for conventions! One of the many benefits of being a geek: recycling!

The green wig was my crowning glory as Saria. Spock was appropriately unimpressed.

I have a few dream Halloween costumes that I hope to make a reality someday. I've seen many of them around the internet, so it gives me great hope regarding my own success. Let's take a look at them!

I would definitely go the "adorable" route for a few reasons: comfortable and I think I could probably make it. Aside from finding a pattern online (which is difficult) or buying one from a craft store, my best bet would be purchasing an existing blue dress and then adding embellishments such as the Police Public Call Box sign, the Pull to Open sign, and the windows. Throw in a tiny light-up hat and I'm finished! There's a great tutorial over on youtube that builds off of a corset and skirt design. It's a little risque for me, but they have brilliant ideas.

FemmeTen:

I've never seen female Doctors in the show, although Eleven has mentioned one lady Time Lord before, but that hasn't stopped dedicated fans from storming the fandom with Femme Doctors. Being a bespectacled lady who doesn't wear contacts, I have great sadness when it comes to costume accuracy; not very many characters that I like have glasses. Fortunately, the Tenth Doctor wears glasses every so often!

The great part about cosplaying as Nine, Ten, or Eleven is that they have relatively normal outfits, things that some men would wear on a day to day basis. I could probably buy a complete FemmeTen outfit at Macy's! Brown/blue or pinstriped dress suit, snag a tie from the men's section and throw on my pre-existing red Converse. I am DONE. Like this lovely lady:

The long tan jacket is very important. Never forget that piece! The internet is also full of various fun Doctor Who memorabilia, so once I include my Sonic Screwdriver and track down some psychic paper the task at hand is done. I will then be able to walk around proud and intelligent with all the swagger of a two-hearted being.

Minecraft Person:

This is one of the simplest options I could pick, so I don't understand why I haven't done it yet. Laziness? That must be it.

Jeans, check. Tennis shoes, check. Green t-shirt, easy enough to obtain. The pickaxe can be purchased online, and I imagine if I were particularly strapped for cash I could buy a large piece of foam core and cut out the shape myself. The trickiest part here is the head piece. But guess what? That can be purchased online too!

If my Dalek dress doesn't turn out at least I've now convinced myself of an easier option.

Zelda:

Without a doubt this is the most difficult costume on my dream list. Pulling off a Zelda costume requires an immense amount of time, skill, and detail. Not to mention a very specific wig and accessories! I've come to another conclusion: this costume requires a lot of money. Unless I start to develop a lot of finesse and experience with my sewing machine, my best bet for this is to buy one from the internet.

Of course, I like to believe that if I had a spare $300 lying around then I'd buy patterns and take a few classes on costume/clothes making. Then someday you may all see me looking like this:

I'm pleased to report that I'm actually working on a Link costume right now! I've wanted to cosplay as Link while at PAX for quite a few years but that's kind of tough to do without the outfit in tow. My first attempt at a tunic was far too small, and the second one fits but just barely. Truth be told, the sleeves are too small and I'm running out of fabric to try and fix it. I don't expect this one to be Con quality, but maybe Halloween next year.

Link is a much easier costume than Zelda because he has fewer embellishments. One of the key components is a sword, and I was gifted one for Christmas last year so really I'm already halfway to a Link outfit. There are a lot of very great costume tutorials out there, and they're where I'm starting.

Similar to the Zelda costumes, many places on the great internets will sell me a Link costume, but I think this one needs to come from my sweat, blood and tears, not my wallet.

What is everyone going to be for Halloween, and will you be buying your costume or making it? Have you ever made your costumes in the past? What is YOUR dream costume? Also, if you have any great sewing internet resources then please do share!

Friday, October 19, 2012

My Whovian friend's birthday is today, and seeing as she's the emphatic soul responsible for my Doctor Who addiction it seemed only proper to give her something heartfelt and sonic for her special day.

Something sonic, and screwdriver-y.

Click to enlarge, and bask in the textures of Ten's Sonic Screwdriver ! Look at that great

blue swirl. Oh yeah!

Initially I was going to make only Ten's, but once I was finished I was so pleased with the result that I decided to make more!

Click to embiggen! Do it! I was excited to use transparency material to make that weird

tube thingie on the side of River's Sonic Screwdriver.

River's seemed like a good choice since she's connected to both Ten and Eleven, and her design was also a lot more intricate than Ten's. I was both excited and apprehensive to apply some splotch painting techniques to achieve the green that is spread around the gold plates.

But I was finished with it in one evening. I had a square frame to fill. Why not make Eleven's, too?

Make the pictures bigger! It was a real ordeal to decide if Eleven's Sonic Screwdriver should

be opened, or closed. I'm happy with my decision.

To my great surprise, Eleven's was the most complicated to assemble! I went to the craft store and bought extra special shiny paper to replicate the metal shine of his sonic screwdriver. It was worth it!

The final product came together in an 8x8 shadow box frame, presented kind of like butterflies! Does that make sense? Maybe I shouldn't say this, but I was tempted to keep this for myself once all was said and done!

Eight inches by eight inches of papery, Doctor Who glory.

It's off to live in Colorado now. Perhaps if I ask my friend nicely she'll send me photos of its new living quarters!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

During a caffeine high intertwined with a headache that felt as though gauntlet'd hands were squashing my skull, I decided that cruising around online would make everything better. Apparently I forgot that computer screens aren't great for headaches. However, my folly is your fortune because I found these incredible Pokemon drawings over at Geekosystem!

Noelle Stevenson - Machamp drawing

The description from Geekosystem:

"HE'S GREY AND REALLY MUSCULAR, WITH FOUR ARMS (TWO SETS OF ARMS) AND TWO-TOED FEET. HE WEARS BLACK, UH, UNDERPANTS??? AND HE HAS A BELT WITH STUDS ON IT AND A P IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BUCKLE-TYPE-THING. HE ALSO HAS A HILARIOUSLY LARGE MOUTH/LIPS AREA AND THREE SPINES ON HIS HEAD...!."

Noelle Stevenson hasn't seen these Pokemon before, which makes the drawings all the more entertaining and charming. You can see the rest of them in the Geekosystem article. Stevenson also runs a tumblr and a page with fun art, as well as a webcomic (beautiful art style!). Check them out! Now go forth into the world, and be cheered!

Monday, October 15, 2012

My nephew turned five yesterday, and the little guy is a big fan of Spider-man! Takes after his aunt, he does! Upon asking my sister what he'd like for his birthday, she told me something Batman and Spider-man related. I immediately set to making a small sculpt for him, something that hopefully won't look scary in any way when it's dark in the bedroom.

After some searching around online for reference photos I found this adorable drawing of Spider-man:

It encompassed the perfect amount of cuteness and non-scary-ness that was requested of me. I then found this!:

He's a little pointy, but I figured I'd be able to chibi-ize him to eliminate anything scary.

As one could expect, the webbing for Spider-man's outfit was a real challenge. I attempted to channel the clean, careful lines from Cameron's piece, but I fear I didn't do nearly as well. I just need more practice, that's all! Positive thinking!

I'm not as happy with the Batman. Maybe he doesn't have as much detail, so he doesn't seem as impressive? I'm pretty pleased with his bat logo though! I think it came out well. Also, I thought that some web swinging would add a bit of fun to the piece. Fun, and action! Wa-pow!!

And here we have the finished sculpt! It's framed flat, sadly, but it ended up working well. I was feeling pretty stumped over what to do for a background; I was fairly limited because I didn't use a shadow box frame. Ultimately I think the "wham" and "pow" shapes work well and add some pizazz to the piece!

Friday, October 12, 2012

There are a lot of web shows out in the world to choose from, and it's not always easy to know which ones are good and which are bad. Transolar Galactica is a resounding "good", along with funny, smart, and fantastically written. A brief summation would be that it is "a sci-fi comedy webseries that follows the exploits of Captain Remmington Trigger and his crew of space misfits as they travel the galaxy in search of adventure."*

Writer/director Adam Harum (pictured left) set aside some time earlier this week to talk with me about the driving forces behind the first season, as well as the Kickstarter that he and his fellow crew members are hosting in hopes of making a second season of their award winning show. They're hoping to raise $30,000 by October 28th, and so far they're just over one third of their goal. Transolar Galactica came into existence after Harum and his friends graduated from Eastern Washington University. They wanted to put together a sketch show to keep their film interests flamed while they searched for jobs:"Our first sketch (Which is now known as the first episode of Transolar) came about from a conversation I had with Isaac (Captain Trigger) about how hilarious it was that at the end of start trek six, captain kirk tells the crew to take the second star to the right, and go straight on until morning. This being the last film with them all in it, was followed by an emotional head nod by all, and then they flew off into space. Obviously, this command is a metaphor, and it would have been an impossible thing to actually plug into a navigation unit. Which raises the question, where the f**k did they go? We found this funny, and I wrote the sketch based around this joke. But after realizing how incredibly difficult it is to get a sketch show seen by a wide audience, we kind of scrapped the whole sketch show idea, and released Transolar Galactica on it's own. Then boom, we got an incredibly positive response, and a lot of people sharing it and loving it, so we said, why the hell not, let's make another one. (Despite all the characters dying in episode 1). So, Transolar was born."

Check out the first episode right here!

The rest of season one came easily after that, fueled by fan interest that in turn made the cast and crew excited to expand on the characters. Season one is a fast-paced, explosive death-fest, and Harum and co. have the groundwork laid out to make season two a cohesive story line. When asked if he thought that a full story arc cramped their creative style, Harum replied, "Nope! Not at all, if anything, I think it's completely opened up new doors. I could no longer rely on the simple "who's going to die in this episode hilariously and violently?" Instead it became a study of how the characters interacted with each other and all the humor that can come out of that." His excitement came through loud and clear in the interview, and I found myself even more hopeful that they would achieve their Kickstarter goal. The cast and crew created scenarios that were fantastically engaging in one-off episodes, so to imagine that enthusiasm and talent brought to a full story is extremely exciting and promising!Their Kickstarter money will be going entirely toward equipment and sets; season one is all green screen excluding episodes four and seven. If you've seen any episodes then you're familiar with the style and editing, and you can see that an incredible amount of work has gone into the post-production aspect. All equipment and props were borrowed or scrounged together and while they were able to make it work, Harum says it "does take a toll on (the DP/editor), and the rest of us."

A green screen sample from the Kickstarter video.

The characters that have been brought to life in Transolar Galactica are loving derivations of well-known sci-fi personas. I'm impressed by their accuracy and asked Harum to elaborate on each one:"I think we all brought a little something to the table as it went along, but after reaching the end of season 1 I can give you my take on each of them: Trigger and Yasaki are basically Zap Brannigan and Kif from Futurama, if Kif were an arrogant asshole that was actually good at what he did. However, Trigger is more if Brannigan and Captain Kirk had a child together-- his ego only feeding his arrogance and power. PO McCall is basically Kaylee from Firefly, only the male version. Reggie is basically Worf from TNG, but if Worf were beaten up by everyone his entire life and owned nothing but Jason Statham films. Samson is basically River from firefly, but if you wiped her memory and gave her the most boring job on the ship."I commended him on his representation of these characters and asked if he had plans to mold them further, and his answer was an enthusiastic yes. That's just one of the many great things to look forward to if (when?) season two comes to pass! The script has allowed for further exploration of the characters, setting them loose in new scenarios and providing real consequences to show what they're made of. "...they are left to wander out in the massive world and find their place", says Harum.

A season two script screen shot from the Kickstarter video.

One thing that stood out to me in season one was the lack of female characters. The viewer sees women only a few times, and I wondered if it was a lack of actresses or a lack of interest in writing a female role. It turns out that it was intentional:"Transolar's lack of a female presence in Season 1 comes more from what we wanted to do with the show, leaving a whole bunch of already stressed out males, crammed in a metal tube in space, lacking pretty much any female presence."His answer was one that I didn't expect, to be sure. Harum went on to talk about his preference for writing female characters, and the fact that season two will feature strong female characters, including one named Captain Ashley Quinn that will have "one of the most important roles" for season two. His influences for creating a strong, believable, and decorated Captain come from the game series Mass Effect and his experiences with the female Shepard. Everything that he said excited me more and more about the second season. I especially want to see this strong female lead and more of his truly laugh-out-loud writing. In closing, Harum had this to say:"I want (the fans) to know that I appreciate everything they have done for us already, like always keeping me inspired to keep making this show. I want them to know that all their favorite characters (and even some of their least favorite) will be back for Season 2, and that it is going to blow them away. Pieces we are willing to reveal: The climax of the UGCA and Locus Assembly's Civil war is the least of the Transolar's problems, as an ancient force threatens to put the entire universe in danger... Look for hints hidden throughout our teasers and videos since the end of season 1 and you may find more than you thought was there... I think that's it? I mainly just want to thank everybody for supporting my sci fi nerdiness and for enjoying the show."

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Now that the cat's out of the bag with the Doctor Who lip balms, I can share these wallpapers with you! After creating the labels for the line over at Earthtastic! I realized that the screwdriver designs might make for some fun computer backgrounds. I'm quite a fan of this collection from Karma Orange. The minimalist approach is very nice, and I love the textures. I see similar kinds on some of the fancier Penny Arcade comics and I am always impressed.

Earthtastic! is a line of natural body and skin care products started by my sister Cassidy. She creates small, handmade batches of preservative and chemical free products that are good for the environment and good for you, too. They are also organic (when possible), vegan, and nut free, so those with allergies can rest easy. She always offers custom orders to make sure customers get the exact product that they want and need.

A little bit ago we were talking about how we wished we could team up together, but that our focuses were very different (hers being body products and mine being gaming and technology) and we were stumped, and that's where the Doctor Who line was born!

Created with the conscientious geek in mind, this line of lip balms has been designed with the intention of encapsulating the Doctor Who universe. As a default they come unscented, but you can request either orange or blueberry during your order for no additional cost! Buy them separately or together as a beautiful gift pack for yourself or your Doctor loving friend.

The Sonic Lipstick is available as a balm only or as a lip tint! Just make your request during the order!

Be sure to check out all of the listings on the Earthtastic! Geekery etsy page to learn more about the products and the business. I'm positive that you'll like what you read!

Now, time for information about the giveaway!

Would you like to have this set for yourself or to gift to a friend? Here are the requirements for entry!

-"like" A Bit of Geek and Earthtastic! on Facebook
-follow A Bit of Geek and Earthtastic! on twitter
-comment here letting me know that you've done those things, and make sure you leave a way for me to contact you (e-mail or twitter handle)
-bonus SECOND entry if you tweet about our giveaway! Be sure to leave a second, separate comment here if you send out this tweet:
"Doctor Who lip balm giveaway from @earthtastic and @abitofgeek http://tinyurl.com/9l4swad"

The giveaway will be open for a week, so you have until Monday, October 15th at 10pm PST time to enter! Good luck to the entrants and thanks for taking the time to look around! Of course, if you'd prefer to just buy the set, you can do that too ;)

-MJ

10.16.12 UPDATE!

We have a winner!

Congratulations saltkiin! I'll contact you on twitter to get your shipping information! Thank you everyone for participating :)

abitofgeek on Twitter!

abitofgeek on tumblr!

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About Me

I like to write about the fun things I do. When I'm not screaming at spiders for being in my house, I can be found writing, playing video games or paper crafting. A Bit of Geek is where I put my thoughts and activities.